What's going on at SPARK?
In a hallway outside the Clarendon Library at the University of Oxford in England, a little electric bell has been ringing almost non-stop since 1840. It certainly hasn’t been plugged in to the wall, so what’s the explanation for this long-running electrical marvel? The device hasn’t been taken apart to be examined, but experts’ best guesses are that it is …
“If you want to win at cards,” says Tana Granack, SPARK Museum’s operations director, “don’t bring a rabbit’s foot. Learn your math and statistics.” His point is that science, technology, engineering and mathematics — those STEM disciplines you’ve probably heard so much about — are everywhere, involved in all aspects of life. They’re not boring and stodgy lessons to sleep …
When SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention co-founder John Jenkins bought his space on Bay Street, downtown was dead — “pretty much a ghost town,” Jenkins says. Today? Definitely not. Downtown Bellingham is thriving, full of hip restaurants, quaint shops, delightful entertainment venues and top-quality museums. Downtown Bellingham is a place for family fun, friendly get-togethers and fabulous nights out. And …
Electricity is an amazing phenomenon. For centuries, it has captured the imaginations of people bent on harnessing its enormous power for previously unheard-of ends. At SPARK Museum, we like to celebrate not only the useful and practical inventions that have arisen from electricity over the years, but also electricity’s unique ability to captivate and enthrall. To that end, we’d love …
SPARK Museum is full of intimate galleries and exhibits, but there’s also a room — a rather large one, actually — where a good deal of magic takes place. We like to call this room the Powerhouse — it’s where we perform dynamic live action demonstrations for the largest audiences. Did you know Bellingham businesses, organizations and individuals can rent …
Sadly, Nikola Tesla’s radiant energy teleportation plans still haven’t come to fruition. And since visitors can’t beam themselves to SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention, they often end up driving their cars instead. Thus, on occasion, they’ll ask about parking. SPARK is a happening place to be, and it’s located on a short street in the popular downtown Arts District. Honestly, …
Get your kids amped up to go back to school with SPARK Summer Science Workshops! Come join us on Friday, August 10th, or Saturday, August 18th, from 12-1:30 or 3-4:30 for a Science Lab open house! We’ve got a whole set of fun activities for you and your kids to do together to learn about electricity and circuits. Come build …
At SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention, we love to celebrate visionaries. After all, behind every electrical invention is someone with vision — someone with a brilliant mind asking the question “what if?” or exclaiming “I wonder …” Nikola Tesla, whose birthday we remember on July 10, is one such person. It’s difficult to delve into the history of electricity without …
Everything at SPARK Museum is built for discovery. Whether it’s from viewing a sparking, 10-foot-tall Tesla coil or from sticking small, inflated balloons to their heads, everyone who enters SPARK gets to discover the power and wonder of electrical energy. Truly, it is a place of scientific interaction — where people young and old can see, touch and listen their …
On June 8th, SPARK Museum hosted our first ever education symposium! Educators from Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish, and King counties filled the room representing 18 different institutions. We came from a variety of different museums, centers, and schools, but what unifies us all is our desire to serve the students in our communities to the best of our ability. Creating educational …
